Man convicted as teen seeks resentencing

Thursday

Jan 12, 2017 at 6:18 PM

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 in an Alabama case that juveniles cannot be sentenced to life without parole because, in part, their brains aren’t fully developed and there’s a better chance for reform than with adult offenders.

By Zack McDonald | 747-5071 | @PCNHzack | zmcdonald@pcnh.com

PANAMA CITY — A resentencing hearing is underway for a man who was 17 years old when he was convicted of killing a fellow high school football player during a botched robbery for steroids.

Thomas Robert McGill, now 37, appeared in court Thursday for the first of a two-day hearing on the matter. McGill was sentenced to life in prison without a chance for parole in 1996 for the shooting death of fellow Mosley High School football player Tory King during a plot to rob him of steroids. However, in light of a Florida Supreme Court decision, McGill is arguing for a lighter sentence because he was a minor at the time of the slaying, according to court documents.

The request comes in the wake of a March 2015 decision by the Florida State Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 in an Alabama case that juveniles cannot be sentenced to life without parole because, in part, their brains aren’t fully developed and there’s a better chance for reform than with adult offenders. The Florida Supreme Court later ruled in Rebecca Falcon’s case that the U.S. Supreme Court decision should be applied retroactively.

McGill’s is the first high-profile case in Bay County to see a resentencing hearing. At the time of the incident, the gruesomeness of the crime shocked many in the community, and family members of the victim contended Thursday that McGill should remain incarcerated for the rest of his life.

Jurors found McGill guilty of first-degree murder in April 1996. Prosecutors showed that while McGill was attempting to rob King — a fellow football player who usually dealt to him — of steroids at gunpoint in a remote area of Bay County, he ended up shooting him. King died from his injuries, and McGill poured gasoline over his body and then burned it beyond recognition.

McGill was 17 when the crime occurred. He was charged as an adult with premeditated first-degree murder and armed robbery. His attorney claimed he was intoxicated on steroids at the time, but in the spring of 1996 he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

More than 20 years later, McGill’s is among several other cases of juveniles serving life sentences that were retroactively entitled to sentence hearings. His hearing continues today.